(2.) It will be a notable curb and awe upon us to keep us from sin ; for all these things befall them for our learning. It is our stupid in- cogitancy when God puts these examples before our eyes, and we are not afiected with them, and so are of little use to us : Josh. ix. 3, ' When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and to Ai,' they were wiser than we ; they did not expect the coming of Joshua, but sent messengers to meet him and strike up a covenant with him. Or as that captain that came to Elijah, 2 Kings i. 13, when two captains were destroyed with their fifties, he comes and desires the prophet to spare his life, and that those he brought with him might be dear and precious in his eyes. As he did, so should we. God hath smitten this and that for sin ; we should the more humble ourselves, and desire terms of grace ; but our blindness and stupidness is such that we are not moved with God's judgments on others to look to the state of our souls : Prov^ xxii. 3, ' The wise man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the fool goetli on and is punished.'
Secondly, I come now to the reason rendered, ' For their deceit is falsehood.' The Septuagint hath on aZiKov to ivdv/j,i]/jia avroiv — thou hast despised all those that qvy from thy statutes, for their thought is unjust. But to open the words. These two notions, deceit and false- hood, sometimes are taken for the vanity of outward things, the disap- pointment of trust ; for by an ill-built trust a man deceives himself, and his hopes prove false ; and sometimes they are put for craft, guile, and hypocrisy. Now, according to these different acceptions of the word, diverse senses are given. (1.) Some think these words i-elate to the disappointment of their trust. Thus their confidences wherein they trust will deceive them at last, and be found falsehood. Certain it is that carnal men have many imaginations and carnal confidences wherein they flatter themselves, and hope to avoid their appointed judgments, which prove in the conclusion but lying vanities. If this were the sense, that at length it shall appear how deceitful their trust
218 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXXIX.
is, then it concerns us to see to our trust, to sec what in probability these confidences might be whereby they deceive tlieir own souls. Is it their greatness and present height ? This deceivetli them when they are brought down wonderfully, Isa. xiv. 12-16. Or is it meant of their devices and witty counsels wherein they trust ? But their subtle devices fail, and they are often taken in the snares th'ey laid for others : Isa. xxix. 14, ' The wisdom of the wise men shall perish, and the understanding of the i:)rudent shall be hidden.' All their craft will do them no good ; all their cunning and policy, by which they hope to fortify and defend themselves and prevent their ruin, shall come to nought. Or they do not get that by their deceit which they hope for ; though they have many methods and stratagems to circumvent the people of God, yet they shall prove but vain. (2.) Most simjjly it seemeth to be taken for hypocrisy and guile of spirit, manifested either in shows of piety or any guileful course, whereby they would under- mine others ; for this reason God will bring them down.
Doct. All fraudnlency and hypocrisy is hateful to God, therefore he will sooner or later discover and destroy those that practise it.
Traudulency is twofold : —
1. Either falsehood in ordinary commerce, lying or treacherous imposing on the simplicity of upright and honest men. Most men's , wisdom and ])olicy lies in their falsehood and deceitfulness ; but this shall be manifested, and whilst they think to deceive others, they shall be deceived themselves. Job v. 13, and be taken in their own snares; and whilst they seek to ruin and undermine others, they are ruined and undermined themselves. Or —
2. There is another sort of fraudnlency, pretences of piety, whereby such men deceive the world. Now this deceit is threefold — either the deceit of the heretic and erroneous j)erson, or the formalist and super- titions person, or the deceit of those that pretend to be truly religious. All these cheats put upon the world shall not long hold.
[1.] The cheat of erroneous persons and heretical seducers, who, under a fair mask and plausible appearance, carry on such designs as prove troublesome and noxious to the church of God. Though for a while they carry great sway under colour of a godly life, yet at length God will tread them to dust and nothing, and then all will be counted but deceit. The deceit of heretical seducers is often spoken of in scripture : Eev. ii. 9, ' I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan ;' and 1 Tim. iii. 5, 9, ' But they shall proceed no farther ; for their folly shall be manifest unto all men.' When, under a form of godliness, they carry on a horrible design unto the great disturbance of the church, of the kingdom and commonwealth, the day shall declare it, 1 Cor. iii. 13 ; God will bring them down.